Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based services for commercial, private, and government applications have received heightened attention in recent years due largely to advancements in key supporting technologies. Corporate entities in particular continue to aggressively develop UAV-based delivery systems with the expectation that market demand for such services will include point-to-point/short-range and low-weight payload delivery. In addition to delivery services, possible UAV-based aerial applications include scientific data collection, search-and-rescue operations, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and other applications requiring extended flight ranges and dwell times.
Such UAV flight missions tend to rely on single fixed-wing UAV configurations having a specified onboard sensor suite. Other proposed configurations use a multi-rotor design. While relatively lightweight, the use of fixed rotors may result in inefficient flight operations, reduced flying ranges, and/or lower payload-carrying capabilities. Therefore, a need exists for long-range UAV-based aerial delivery systems and methodologies to collectively provide a distributed aerial presence.